Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 2

Wireless Ethernet help needed by network dumb-dumb

I've read all the posts on the Xircom Wireless Ethernet module I could find and looked over all my documentation but I'm still stumped. I'd appreciated the configuration I've attempted to use...

D-Link DWL-1000AP Access Point directly connected to cable modem. No PC involved, no Wi-Fi card on the PC. Xircom module settings have been played with a whole lot... the closest I've come to a connection is:

Client Name: Xircom SWE (( should I use my logon user name or something??? ))
Network ID: The same computer ID my PC would have when connected to the @Home cable modem network. It looks something like: ZZ99999-A.yes1.wave.home.com
Encryption: Disabled (( would @Home require otherwise?? ))

... in the Advanced | IP Address screen I have...
Static IP address (( Dynamic has never worked for me so far ))
Default Gateway: numbers my PC would use
Subnet Mask: numbers my PC would use
Power Managment: Enabled (( Should I really turn this off?? ))
Network Type: Infrastructure (( Peer to Peer is the other option but I'm not sure if I need that. ))
Long Duration setting

... in Prefs | Network I have...
Service name: my PC's name (( this isn't necessary is it?? ))
User name: my PC cable modem account's user name
Password: my PC's password to cable network
Connection: USB/Serial

... in Prefs | Network | Details... I have...
Idle timeout: Power off
DNS: primary and secondary defined as my PC would have it
IP Address: defined as my PC would have it

With the above settings, Prefs | Network seems to let me log-on to the network ("signing on..." and then "established") but the Xircom's Status app says the network is unidentified. If I try to use Blazer, it hangs for a long time and then times out. If I try BugMe! Messenger, it hangs for a long time and then says "host not found". The Xircom modules lights seem to do a lot of blinking and what not, more than just battery charging.

So my main questions are:
1. Am I naive to try a Xircom wireless ethernet directly with an Access Point hooked straight into a cable modem?
2. Should I be copying all my PC's settings or do I have to put in something unique for the Xircom module?
3. Should I be using Peer to Peer instead of infrastructure?
4. Will power management ON make any difference while I've got my power adapter plugged in doing it's job?

Flip23

Registered: Jun 2001
Location: San Francisco, CA
Posts: 11

Try turning off power management. I couldn't get it to work for the longest time, but then I reset everything to default and turned power management off. that fixed everything.

You can read about our configuration at our newspaper website:

http://www.ucsf.edu/synapse/tech

__________________
Wender Hwang
Synapse Technology Editor
UCSF School of Medicine, Class of 2004